Raven's Lullaby
by DawiL
Summary: While trying to protect her foster daughter Raven was killed by a satanic cult. One year later she is resurrected, not just to avenge herself and her unborn baby that died with her, but also to find out the truth about the ritual she became victim of.


_All characters in the story are fictitious ones. Any similarity to real persons is none of the author's intention and neither any statement nor any opinion in this story is meant to offend anyone by it._

_**Raven's Lullaby**_

**Prologue: Awakening**

Darkness.

Loneliness.

Faceless grayish shadows wander around, but nothing human.

Only dead souls, where ever she looks.

...And numb silence.

Then she suddenly notices colors, people passing by in a hurry, pushing her away rudely. However, they apparently don't notice neither the young woman nor the strange aura surrounding her.

A presentiment of something more secure than anything else in life.

Death.

Just death and pain.

In life hers...now the time has come to change the roles.

But, however, she's yet not able to understand the words of the alien passer-byes. It's as if they were talking in some kind of foreign language she doesn't know.

The blaring voices mixing up to a shrill concert, a gigantic dissonance hurting painfully in her ears, so that she has to closes her eyes to clear her mind at least a bit.

Where is she?

Or better, who is she?

And why is there so much pain...?

"_Mommy_!" This word makes her finally reopen her eyes and becoming aware the little girl standing right in front of her, who is staring at her with curious, but also fearful eyes.

She stretches out her hand to touch the child carefully, to tell her Mommy's right there...

But when the girl suddenly frightens away, she realizes she's not the one the words were addressed to.

"How often did I tell you not to-"The hastily approaching mother sounds tired, with a lack of understanding for her daughter, who interrupts her scolding: " But Mom, that lady's sad..."

"Honey, that's very impolite to-"She gasps when she is faced with the pale young woman in black, whose eyes seem so empty and dead.

"Aren't you feeling ashamed of yourself while walking around like a wicked witch with that bird on your shoulder, scaring little children?" The woman hides her own uncomfortably rising fear behind scold while she's trying to drag her daughter away.

"Halloween's not until tonight!"

She wants to tell them she doesn't want to hurt them, but she's yet not able to utter any clear word before they're already lost in the crowd.

All of a sudden someone pushes her rudely, doesn't even turn around so that he could've noticed her falling down.

However, the pain spreading in her body caused by the hard cobble stones plastering the square helps her to clear her mind a bit.

Turning around her injured palms, she is faced with them healing immediately.

But how...?

Then she becomes aware the black bird accompanying her, the one that lady had talked about.

A crow.

"_Raven_"... she suddenly remembers...

**Chapter 1:**

Even if by her work at the center providing counsel for abused women, she was already used to similar cases, Raven felt nothing but compassion for the young woman opposite her, who was in vain trying to hide the bruises all over her body by her shabby clothes.

She might have been at best 22, although she couldn't see her face clearly, because the woman and so the baby she was rocking in her arms were partly hidden by a scarf.

Only her nervously trembling hands still revealed her youth.

"I'm no traitor...," she started hesitatingly.

But Raven interrupted her abruptly, as some kind of gigantic anger grew inside her on that man, who had dared not just to leave that girl black and blue, but also with shock for life.

"O.k., honey, you needn't defend that damn bastard that has used you that way. But if you don't want to tell his name, nobody'll able to give you that kind of help you deserve..."

"There's no sense in trying to help me. They've chosen me and they'll get me. And what they'll do to me then'll be worse. " The woman lifted the torn scarf above her forehead a bit, so that Raven was able to see the sign carved into her skin.

The brutality by which the gore-covered wound must have been done made the young social-worker gasp with shock.

"Who did that to you?..Who are _they_?"

"I don't have come here because of that." She veiled her skin again." I'm already lost...but please, help my daughter." She caressed the sleeping baby tenderly.

"But her father...is he one of _them_? Is he the one who did that wound to you?"

The woman laughed bitterly: "Please, I don't want you to get more involved in that business than you need, just promise me to take care of Mia. Don't let them get her..."She looked right into Raven's eyes, making her realize they were the most expressive ones she had ever seen. "She's the only thing that is left to me. Please promise me to take care of her when I'm not able to anymore..."

"I promise," she answered, ashamed she wasn't able to help that woman, who kissed the baby for a last time before she gave it to still perplexed Raven. "But-"

"No, I'm very grateful to you for all. But I can't."

"Won't you try –for your baby? For Mia? Wouldn't you like to see her growing up?"

"You can't imagine how much I'd like to, but I can't." She smiled sadly caressing the baby in Raven's arms." I made a mistake and now I'm gonna pay for it. "

She turned around and left in a hurry, before Raven could have done anything to keep her from.

"Wait..," she called after her, while the baby in her arms started crying, reminding her of the promise she had given.

"Sh, don't cry," she whispered to the child, who stopped crying and looked up to her with the same eyes like her mother's.

"My God, what's gotten into that girl? She rushed past me as if at least Satan was after her." Eileena, who was doing some kind of office job at the center, was standing in the doorframe. "What the -,"she begun, when she noticed the child in Raven's arms, who interrupted her immediately: "Sh, be quiet. Or you might scare the baby..."

**Chapter 2:**

To Raven it seemed as if it had been yesterday, although it was in fact now five years past since she had agreed to become Mia's foster mom after any attempt to find the real mother had failed. She had read in every newspaper about a female corpses being found, but none seemed to fit in the picture she remembered the baby's mother.

Actually Mia was now a clever girl of six years and neither Raven nor her husband Dexter could've imagined life without her, so that the thought that the real mother might want her child back some day scared her, even if she felt ashamed of that.

So she had the impression of being hit by a shock when Eileena told her, that some girl was waiting outside for her, who wanted to talk to nobody else but Raven.

"-and she's got some strange sign on her forehead," Eileena whispered behind her hand, while Raven just nodded, pretending to be unconcerned, while inside she felt the contrary.

When the young lady entered, she realized relieved it wasn't Mia's mother, but some other, younger girl with the same scar.

"You're Raven?" she asked. Her voice was oddly blurred, maybe by drugs or anything similar, but without waiting for an answer she continued immediately: "Then I've got some news for you...by _them_."

"Who are _they_, for Christ's sake?" Raven yelled, but the girl ignored her and continued: "_You needn't try to escape them. They're gonna track you and they're gonna find you, where ever you hide and what they're gonna do to you then will be worse than anything you could imagine_..." She started laughing madly while Raven just managed to get a glance on the gun the girl held in her hand.

"The chase has already begun!" The girl pulled the trigger of the weapon next to her head and killed herself.

Petrified Raven stared at the blood sprayed on her hands and her clothes and the dead body opposite her.

Then she heard a scream of Eileena, who had been still standing in the doorframe, trying to catch some gossip about the young stranger. "Oh my God..."

But Raven just passed her by and ran out of the office.

**Chapter 3:**

Raven passed the narrow streets of the old quarter, without realizing neither the flabbergasted people staring at the blood all over her, nor the place where she was.

"_You needn't try to escape them. They're gonna track you and they're gonna find you, where ever you hide and what they're gonna do to you then will be worse than anything you could imagine_..."

She gasped when someone took her shoulders- a street-preacher she had almost bumped into.

"You needn't be afraid, my child. _He_ loves you," the man proclaimed, "_He_ loves everyone of us. It's never too late to turn around and take the right path leading up to him..."

Raven broke away in a panic, preparing to continue her escape, but in this moment she felt the touch of someone else's hand resting on her shoulder.

"Rave?" a soft voice with a slight Caribbean accent addressed to her.

She turned around by what she was faced with her husband Dex, who first seemed to be shocked of all the blood on her face. But when he noticed she was crying, he tried to calm her.

"Everything's alright..."

"Someone...some girl, who came to the center, she killed herself," Raven uttered, deciding not to tell him about the woman's last word. Maybe she would, some time later.

"My God," he murmured hugging her.

"Mommy" Mia's voice close to her made Raven lift her head from up Dex' shoulder, so that she was faced the child's anxious expression because of all the blood.

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's alright," Dex repeated his words to Mia, who eyed him doubtful. "At that center, where Mom works, some colleague of hers just slipped and she helped her to bandage the injury. And by this..."

"It's not that bad as it looks," Raven interrupted his rather unconvincing story that Mia also didn't seem to believe. "Guess I'll have to go home to change clothes."

Mia nodded by what her black hair swung all around her face. She took Raven's hand, who held it fast a some kind of reflex. "But why have you been crying then, Mommy?"

"Just the shock," she assured, forcing a laugh. Then she switched the topic, although she knew Mia didn't believe a word of all that, "And you two, where have you been going...?"

While Mia started a rapid chatter about some kind of Halloween parade they had planned to watch in the streets, the dead girl's words didn't get out of Raven's head.

**Chapter 4:**

"Boo!" Mia smiled excitedly at Raven after she had finished the girl's Halloween costume. "I'm looking really scary now. Thanks Mom."

"You might have looked much more scarier, if we had left your make-up the way your Dad tried to paint your face before," Raven commented sarcastically. "He might be a pretty good tattoo-artist, but he's got no clue about make-up."

"Yeah, that's more some kind of girls' stuff," Dex scoffed after he had gotten her scathing judgement of his work. "Anyhow, you're looking great- you both."

He glanced with a frown to the window. It was already covered with raindrops.

"A pity Halloween doesn't come off this year... but otherwise you'd be floated away outside immediately, little witch," he addressed to Mia, although his plan appeared more as an attempt to give Raven some time to stay at home and to recover a bit from her shock.

"You're kidding?" Raven asked, her words supported by Mia's disappointed grimace, "Who care about the weather? It can't rain all the time.."

"Or if not we could take along an umbrella, " Mia added on the verge of tying her shoes.

"Or are you afraid of water?" Raven touched her husband's left arm, that was totally covered by some Celtic tattoo.

"Just like you both think..." Dex shrugged, putting on a jacket. "But don't blame me afterwards when you've got a cold...and wet shoes." He glanced to the sneakers on Mia's feet.

"I'll put on another pair." She got his hint and rushed to her room.

In this moment someone knocked at the door.

But when Raven opened it, there was nobody, except for a small box with her name on it.

With trembling hands she grabbed it, noticing a red liquid soaking up the carton.

"What's that Rave...Do you have a secret admirer?" But when Dex glanced over her shoulder, he gasped.

Inside the box there was a dead bird.

A raven.

**Chapter 5:**

Raven dropped the box, stifling a scream while she became aware he blood on her hands.

"What kind of fucking joke should that be?" Dex murmured, "That's not funny at all, but actually pretty sick. Who could be able to do such a thing to you?"

"Kids maybe...I don't know," she stuttered shaken.

Her husband stroke Raven's trembling arm, aware her speechlessness he guessed she knew more than she said.

" It's just something concerning this goddamn job of yours, right? You always want to help everybody, but in doing this you even forget about the danger it might cause for yourself..."

"But the women and their children, they need me," she replied.

"And your own child?" That hurt.

"Mia's fine and you know that. But the other kids out there aren't." She was near shouting at him. "I was myself shifted from one damn foster family to the next, I know how it feels like to be unwanted and lonely. And I've always tried to be a good Mom."

"You are a good Mom," he said.

Then he grabbed the box from her hands. "And if you don't want to go out after this kind of surprise I won't mind."

"No...I won't let such a stupid trick scare me," Raven assured him, before he went outside for throwing the disgusting box in the garbage can next to the front door.

"Come on! Hurry up!" When he tuned around, Raven and Mia had followed him down the stairs.

"Ready for Halloween, little witch?" Raven asked Mia. The girl started giggling excitedly, then she ran ahead.

"Try to catch me, Mom.."

"By the way, do you think she'll like being an older sister?" Raven asked Dex, who gazed at her with surprise.

"You mean, you...we...?"

She nodded smiling, before she hurried up to follow Mia.

**Chapter 6:**

"But I'm not any tired," Mia protested though hardly stifling a yawn when Raven told her that in consulting her watch it was time to go home.

"Little witches also have to go to bed some time."

"Even on Halloween?" Mia showed clearly her doubts.

"Even on Halloween," Dex assured. "And especially if they've to go to school tomorrow..."

"But Daddy, please." Her begging look made him almost falter, but a switch from Mia's brown eyes to Raven's absent violet ones confirmed his decision.

"No, it's really late and we've still a couple of way ahead, even if we take that short cut through the park..."

He stopped as just in this moment several police cars with flashing lights passed them by, heading in the direction he had referred to.

"Again another damn gang-fight," he murmured under his breath, so that Mia couldn't hear it, then he suggested: "Guess we should drop that. But what about a short cut across the old cemetery instead?"

Mia's eyes widened with excitement, while Raven looked doubtfully at her husband.

"I'm not sure if I like that idea..."

"Come on, what should happen out there?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Mia begged, pulling her by the sleeve of her black pullover. "Please."

By the enthusiastic shimmer in the girl's eyes Raven finally dropped her objections. "Two against one. You won." She shrugged, then she hugged herself as if she was freezing. "But we take the shortest way possible, o.k.?"

**Chapter 7:**

"You're cold?" Dex laid his arm carefully around his wife's shoulders when he noticed she was still shivering.

"Nope. Only tired...Guess our little one has just got more energy than me." She yawned under her hand first, then she stroke her long dark hair out of her eyes. "I don't know yet how I'm going to cope with two of them."

"We'll see. And I'm still also there." He kissed her softly, then they both walked along the headstones, Mia curiously a few steps ahead.

"I still can't figure out if I like that place here.."

"We could take another way instead..."

"No...I promised Mia and –"Raven was interrupted suddenly by a horrible scream, making her become aware that her daughter wasn't still in sight.

"Mia!"

She freed her hand from Dex' and started running after the little girl, calling her name over and over again.

But no sign of her.

Instead she realized she had not just lost Mia, but also Dex, who had been the whole time right next to her.

"Great," she murmured, passing another row of moss-covered headstones, that seemed, similar to the last one, in the upcoming fog actually like some scenery in a cheap horror movie.

Suddenly she heard some noise behind her.

"Mia?"-No, without any doubt the footsteps were the ones of an adult. "Dex?"

Then a cruel, cold voice, too close to her ear. "Both wrong. Are you getting afraid now, little Raven?"

Her answer was stifled by a heavy blow hitting her head.

"I told you we'd find you everywhere...but now it's time for the more entertaining part..."

**Chapter 8:**

The first things Raven noticed when becoming conscious again, were the voices chanting spells in an unknown language. Then the disgusting smell of incense and smoke that made her nearly retch with disgust.

"Ah, sleeping beauty's finally awake." The voice hurt her head; she already felt as if she had stayed up a whole night.

She opened her eyes slowly, afraid of sudden glaring light that might have also contributed to her headache, but all she saw was the shimmer of some burned-down candles enlightening the room- in fact some kid of crypt.

When she tried to wipe over her itching eyelids, she realized her hands were tied together and she was hardly able to move. But a short glance down her body and over her damaged yet still complete clothes made her relax a bit, as obviously they had at least not...

"Where am I?" The words issued unclear and blurred from her mouth as her tongue didn't seem to obey her yet.

"Sh...you'll get your answers early enough." A hooded person approached to her. But Raven didn't start screaming before she recognized the charm on the chain around the persons neck.

The sign was the same as the one on the women's forehead.

"Shut the fuck up, you bitch!" He slapped her rudely. "Or do you want to disturb our little celebration here?"

Raven's eyes followed the direction he had pointed in, so she caught sight of a pentagram surrounded by candles and some kind of altar in the center of it. There he laid her down now. Some other members of the cult were standing there waiting, obviously looking at her, although she couldn't see neither their faces nor their eyes under the hoods.

"You're ready?"

"For what? You want to kill me like you did with all those innocent women?" Raven yelled, whereupon he just laughed.

"No, you're of a different use for us. You're special."

"Fuck off!" Raven just replied angry yet full of fear, convinced those bastards wanted Mia like her mother had feared. "You won't get neither Mia- nor my baby..."

"Stupid girl..." She felt a dagger cutting her palms, then the strangers lips touching her hand, tasting her blood. He lifted the dagger right above her body, while the voices of the others became louder, echoed from the walls.

"Satan...she's yours."

"Please, don't ,"she begged when the blade dug into her chest.

**Chapter 9:**

All of a sudden a noise came from far away, footsteps approaching.

"Fuck-the cops!" someone yelled, a sign for the others to leave their ritual and to flee panically.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Only an elder man, the nightwatchman of the cemetery.

"Go home, kids. The cops're already-"He gasped when he wasn't faced with a gang of juvenile tugs he had suspected to have an illegal Halloween-party here, but the leftovers of a black magic ritual.

"Madre Dios..." He pressed his hand before his mouth to stifle a scream when he noticed Raven. "My God, Miss..."

She couldn't answer, but when she heard Dex' voice calling her name, she managed to lift her head a bit.

"Rave..." He pushed the old man away, who was crossing himself among helpless prayers. "Oh my God, Rave, who did that to you?" His voice broke while he stroke his wife's cheek, tears rolling down his own.

"Dex...,"she uttered his name among pain.

"Please...you mustn't give up. Please, don't die," he sobbed, when she started to lose conscious..

"I love you, Dex. And Mia." She closed her eyes.

"I love you, too," he cried. "Don't leave me now...Rave? "He hugged her dead body for a last time while outside sirens of police cars approached.

**Chapter 10:**

_One year later_

She would take her revenge, though yet it was too early and there were still other things to do before.

The streets of her old quarter seemed too familiar to Raven, all the memories linked with that place caused pain.

Here she had also met Dex for the first time...

_Even if the performance is already finished, Raven has remained standing, watching the young pantomime, when she suddenly realizes, he's also watching here. His face is totally covered by black and white make-up, so she can't see anything of his expression, except maybe for his friendly green eyes. They seem rather unusual in connection with the dark bronze skin of his hands she sees, when he offers her a rose he's broken off a bush in front of some house._

"_For me?"_

_He nods._

"_Thank you." When she takes it, he drops his head as if he was too timid to look at her._

"_You don't talk a lot, do you?"_

_He shrugs, shakes his head to say 'sometimes maybe'._

"_And that's what you always do-giving roses to strangers?"_

"_No, only to the ones I like," he answers with some unusual, but not unpleasant French, perhaps Caribbean accent._

_Raven blushes._

"_Except for the fact I just earn some of the money to pay my art studies, that's the only advantage of that job here."_

Raven closed her eyes to wipe away the pictures, then she headed home.

**Chapter 11:**

At the apartment she forced her way through the usual chaos she had never managed to put in order at any time when she was still alive and entered the bedroom by opening the door with her elbow to prevent any memories.

After having found nearly all of her old clothes left here, she undressed and put on some black pants and a tight black shirt

"_Rave? Do you-?" Dex has sneaked up to her secretly, catching her eyeing herself critically in the mirror. "-Wow, you're looking damn hot!"_

"_Hey, don't you know it's very impolite to watch a lady dressing?" She slaps him playfully._

"_Who said anything 'bout dressing? You're sure you don't mean 'undressing'?" he whispers to her ear_

She shook her head while picking up the make-up she had also used one year ago for Mia's face.

But now she painted her own.

_"Mom! How do you like my dress?" Mia turns around in her witch costume with the striped socks like the smallest model on earth._

"_Awesome...only your make-up need a bit of correction, even if you did a good job." Raven doesn't want to discourage her, though she has to try hard not to laugh about the girl's totally smeared face._

"_That wasn't me, but Dad," Mia explains, while Raven removes the make-up carefully for painting her face again._

"_Aha, your Dad," Raven murmurs. "First rule Missy-never leave an important job to a man. All they'll cause is chaos.."_

_They both start giggling._

Black surrounded her eyes, a dark tear rolling down on every cheek. A line around her mouth distorted her face to the smile of a sad clown.

But she didn't even take the time to confirm her work in the mirror and left in a hurry as she couldn't bear those memories any longer.

**Chapter 12:**

"Hey, man, you're sure everything's alright?" The girl with already a couple of tattoos on her back glanced doubtful at Dex' trembling hands. "I mean, I want a tiny butterfly on my neck, no damn dinosaur or anything alike."

"Come on Dex, take the rest of the day off," the owner of the tattoo-shop interfered, "You really deserve some free time. Go home to Mia - guess she doesn't see her Dad very often in the last time... Take the chance and leave, before I change my mind again."

Dex hesitated, playing nervously with the marriage ring still left on his right hand, then he got his jacket. "Thanks."

"It's the first anniversary of his wife's death," the boss whispered to the girl while Dex slammed the door, "Got killed by some voodoo-freaks. Since that the poor boy's never been the same again."

**Chapter 13:**

"What the-" Gash's hand holding the knife he used to prepare some of the ingredients for today evening's ritual just the way the Master had told him, slipped when suddenly a heavy knocking came from the window sill. Cursing he held his injured hand and walked over, but there wasn't anybody for a black crow.

"Go way, birdie-or do ya want to end up like your friend here?" He turned around to point to the stuffed crow at the wall, by what he was faced with a stranger having entered the room.

"Hi Gashie -thanks for your nice present last year."

A fist hit his chin, making him tremble. When he looked up he saw the creepy painted face of a young woman dressed in black.

"A dead bird. Really, you know what women like." She took the knife and held his to his throat. "Perhaps you can still interchange your knowledge with some other bastards in hell. But before you'll tell me where to find your gang."

"What...what are you talking 'bout?" He tried to escape her by crawling.

"You memory doesn't seem to be the best. Guess I'll have to fresh it up a bit." Her smile was similar to the one of Mona Lisa.

"Well, I mean those creepy little bastards with their funny hoods, who entertain themselves with carving-things like that sign here -"

She cut the well known symbol in his forehead, making him whimper with pain. "And with killing innocent women of course. Do you remember now ?"

"You...you mean the cult?" he uttered.

"Fine, the cult then. Where can I find them?"

"At the old cemetery. Today evening's the awakening and-" he seemed to recognize her. "That's impossible. The ritual was interrupted and so..."

"A pity this year it'll be, too." Raven stabbed the knife to his throat then she left through the window.

**Chapter 14:**

"Seems bad weather's coming up again." Dex glanced up to the gray sky, then back to Mia, who was standing beside him in front of the cemetery. "Might become kinda storm...You're sure you don't want to stay here as long as-?"

She shook her head. "No. I also want to go see Mommy."

"O.k." He closed his eyes shortly to pretend a headache, in fact he was stifling his tears. "Let's go then."

He opened the small gate leading to the cemetery, waiting for her.

"Dad...is it some of my fault?"

Dex first didn't understand what she meant, but finally he got what she was actually referring to.

"No, honey. It isn't." Carefully he pulled the hood of the girl's jacket over her head to protect her at least a bit from the beginning rain. "Don't say such a thing again-at any time. Got me? "

Mia nodded, taking his hand and followed him up the muddy path between the headstones.

But right before having reached his wife's grave, Dex stopped abruptly.

A woman with long, dark hair, stood there on the turned up earth in front of Raven's headstone as if she had just forced her way out. When she turned her head a bit, though without noticing him, Dex gasped with shock.

"Dad?" Mia's excited voice confirmed he wasn't going mad

But when she wanted to run to her immediately he held her back. "No, honey. Please stay over there and wait for me. And if I'm not back in a few minutes, you leave here and wait outside the cemetery -you promise?"

Mia nodded, frightened of his sudden serious voice. "I promise"

"Good girl." He kissed her forehead. "You needn't be afraid. I'll be back soon."

He watched her for a second, then he turned around and approached to the grave.

"Hello-Miss?"

When she heard his voice the woman jumped up, her way of moving was painfully familiar to him.

"Rave?" He could hardly keep pace when she started running. "Rave, please.."

Rain and small branches hanging from old, dead trees lashed right into his face, but he didn't even sense the pain while he tried to catch up with her, even if she was obviously too fast for him. He wouldn't let her go for a second time, however after a few minutes he believed having already lost her in the fog.

But on the verge of returning back to Mia, he changed his direction, because he believed having heard noises from the older part of the cemetery not very far away from him.

**Chapter 15:**

"As you already know today's celebration'll be a special one, even if some members of our circle might not be able to attend, " the Master announced to dispel his anxious followers as the rumors about Gash's death already stared to become louder, "So we won't let anyone or anything destroy our affords. Although I think we might have some special guest tonight..."

"Sounds like with kinda TV show."

The Master turned his hooded head abruptly to the entrance of the crypt where the scoffing voice had come from, but obviously there was nothing.

"Ok...Let me guess, _Jeopardy_ perhaps?... So, first round's up to the charming gentleman with the hood: A dark carrion eating bird or also the person, who is going to kill all of you ruthless bastards tonight." The words caused a creepy to echo from the walls.

"-You don't know? Oh, come on, that's pretty easy and there even two questions possible-What's a crow?" Raven left the shadows and entered. "Or even better, Raven."

Startled the worshippers of Satan stared at her while she climbed slowly down the stairs, the crow flying above her.

"It's now one year gone...and you didn't even manage to clean up the place a bit?"

"Ah, it's you Raven, just like I expected. I'm glad you join our meeting, although I'm not pleased about what you did to Gash...,"the Master shrugged, "But who cares, as actually you'll be the most important part of our ritual."

Raven nearly tripped over the stairs, not just because of his words and the fact that he recognized her, but also of shock when she saw the dead body of a young woman, almost too similar to her with pale skin and long black hair.

"You see, we've already tried to finish the ritual," he made a disparaging gesture with his hand as if the dead girl was nothing but trash," But as a matter of fact it didn't work without the real chosen one-You."

"Me?" Raven asked frowning," But I thought you..."

"I confess first I though myself she could be the chosen one, but she wasn't. Mia was never of any interest for us and so was your baby, I'm sorry."

The Master approached to the young woman, who was petrified with shock. " By that sign I knew you were the chosen one since I saw you for the first time, after that stupid bitch gave you her baby to protect it from us," he touched a mark on her neck she had always taken for some kind of birthmark, "As if we were a gang of kidnapping idiots. Who cares, that girl killed herself bout a week later- before she could have been of any use to be sacrificed in a ceremony. She wasn't of such a worth for us like you. A pity the ritual was interrupted the first time, " he laughed hoarsely

"You bastard. You goddamn, ruthless bastard." Raven uttered shaken with disgust of him having touched her," Do you really think I'd help you with your fuckin' ritual after what you did to me?"

"Oh, I think so," he stroke her cheek, making her retch with disgust, "Oh yes, I'm actually pretty sure you will."

"What makes you feel so convinced about that?"

But soon she wished she hadn't asked, because instead of an answer he pointed to a young man chained to one of the stone pillars of the crypt she hadn't noticed before. On a sign by the master a member of the cult held a knife to his throat, so that Raven saw that their captive was no one but Dex.

**Chapter 16:**

"You don't have to do anything else than being a good girl..."

"Somebody already told me that time ago," Raven muttered, remembering with disgust some memory of her miserable childhood in several foster families, while one female member of the cult prepared her for he ritual, the Master having an eye on her work.

"Do you really have to paint my skin with that smeary stuff?" she tried to forget the red paint the master's assistant used for some symbols on her skin might be blood," It makes me itch.."

"Who'll be so naughty now..."the Master slapped her, making her become afraid he could also hurt Dex, although she pretended being unconcerned while he continued: "You're just the way your mother was like..."

"My mother?" Raven gazed at him.

'_Most likely just some cheap whore from Bourbon Street'_ had the only answer been like she had gotten once as a child in one of her foster families, when she had asked about her unknown mother's identity. Naturally after that she had never dared to ask again, though she kept a feeling of curiosity, but also anger on that woman she had never met since she had left her as a baby.

But even later, just like with Mia's mother, all affords to find her, who had given her that strange name, had been in vain.

So now Raven could hardly believe this man here should know anything more than her.

"Yeah, your mother, sweetheart. I remember her as if it had been just yesterday, her face just like yours and the same hair...She was one of us, but she wanted to leave when she found out she was pregnant, wanted to save you when she saw you had the mark on your skin. Of course we couldn't let her go and that stupid girl should've known we'd never let you totally get out of our sight. Though in fact it was pretty difficult and we really left you for some years. But as you know, we found you."

"And my father?" Raven's voice was only a whisper.

He shook his head. "About your father I know barely nothing, maybe some guy she met out in the street...And in case if you should've suspected me, I have to destroy your hopes. I'm not," he laughed, "After all she was no slut, your mother."

Impatiently he pushed the woman away, who had meanwhile finished her work, then he offered Raven his arm. "Guess it's time to start, Milady."

"No, first let Dex go," she replied with a look on her husband, who was bleeding out of several little wounds and scratches.

"And if I don't? Who said I was going to send him free at any time? Guess you're just as naive as your mother was," the Master grabbed her arm to drag her violently to the altar. "We're always grateful for a bit more of blood to please the demon."

_A young woman, looking similar to Raven, although her way of dressing is different. She's cowering on the stone floor, her arms pulled around her body to protect herself from more wound than the several ones she's already bleeding out of. _

"_Tell us, where she is, you bitch!" Someone grabs her, pushes her rudely against the wall._

"_No, I won't," the woman's voice is shaky though steady when she lifts her head," I won't let you kill my baby."_

"_Maybe this'll make you talk." The shimmer of a blade next to her face is reflected in her eyes. "Maybe one finger less, or better one of your beautiful eyes-" _

_He screams with pain when she kicks him abruptly._

"_Damn bitch...but just as you think," he stabs her with the dagger, "Then we'll find her without your help."_

"She died to save me," Raven realized after the vision she had gotten when the Master, her murderer and so her mother's, had touched her.

"Your Mom? Come on, don't start being sentimental now," the Master scoffed, "she's dead and so are you. Didn't ya think I knew already? But I expect the ritual to work anyhow if I also kill that bird. It might even give me more power than with a living sacrifice. I'll get even more than I wanted-immortality!"

He started tying her hands to the blood soiled altar, when he noticed she was moving her lips as if she wanted to talk, so he approached a bit to get her words.

"She gave her life for me-You think I'd dirty her sacrifice that way now?", she tore lose and pushed him violently away from her, "Did you really believe that? Did you?"

Holding the dagger he wanted to sacrifice her with in her hand, Raven made him stand up.

"Guess the only thing I feel sorry for is that perhaps you might like hell. Though, I think you'll soon be lynched there, when they've gotten what kind of poseur you are."

His attempt to escape her was blocked by the altar in his way. But before he could've moved, she had used the weapon to pin his right hand.

Screaming with pain he tried in vain to get a gun from the pocket of his robe, because Raven kicked it out of his hand.

"That's really naughty," she fixed his other hand, not just by a dagger, but also by the chains he had wanted to use for her.

"Tell me, how does that feel like? Unpleasant, hm?" she caught sight of a longer blade next to the altar.

"You bastard. You killed m mother. You killed my baby. You killed me and several other ones- Now that's for you," but on the verge of simply stabbing him she changed her mind and slit each of his wrists instead.

Then she addressed to the others, who watched her petrified: "Sorry, but even the greatest party's over some time. Guess it's time to start cleaning up now."

She took one of the torches from the walls, adding some of the oil they had used for soaking them up to make them burn better and set the curtains on fire that were veiling the stone walls.

"Just look, with a bit of light everything around looks much nicer!"

The developing smoke made it nearly impossible for the worshippers of Satan to escape the crypt. Instead they started to panic, except for the still living Master, who uttered a though week "Get her".

"Have you still not died yet?" Raven turned around and stabbed him with the blade she had cut his wrists with.

"She killed the Master!" His assistant, the one who had painted her skin before, screamed, whereupon the others stared at Raven.

Some others tried to escape meanwhile.

But Raven shot them with the gun she had grabbed from the floor.

"Nobody'll escape...," she begun, when she caught sight of the Master's assistant next to Dex, holding a knife to one of his chained wrists. "Yes, nobody..," the woman murmured, cutting the man's flesh, "The Master's dead and you're gonna pay –,"she gasped when she felt the sword that had killed the Master digging into her back and broke down.

Raven stepped over her body and approached to Dex, who had lost nearly all his consciousness, not yet by the though deep wound, but by shock and the heavy smoke.

"Rave..," he uttered among coughing after she had torn the tape off his mouth.

"Darling, I'm so sorry..."Raven touched his cheek, then she opened the chains around his wrists by the key she took from the dead woman down her feet.

"Rave" Dex tried to hug her, but she avoided him.

"We have to get outta here "she took his unhurt hand and dragged him out of the crypt as fast as possible, though he was trembling and hardly able to walk, so she finally had to put her arm around his shoulders.

Outside she slammed the door to the crypt and locked it.

**Chapter 17:**

"Rave.." Dex repeated her name on the verge of becoming unconscious.

But she didn't answer, instead she closed her eyes and took his wrists carefully. Suddenly he felt strange, but well, while her expression changed as if under pain.

With trembling hands she let him go and he noticed his wounds had closed.

"How did you do that?.. Rave?" he hugged his shaking wife, though he felt himself still weak, "Please don't leave me again. Please. I love you"

" I love you, too, but I can't," she shook her head ,"I can't. I don't belong here anymore...You have to be strong now- for Mia," she kissed him, "Give her a kiss from me and tell her I love her."

"No, wait!"

But she had already disappeared when he heard another voice.

"Dad!" Mia was running towards him, though he had forbidden her to follow him.

"Why haven't you done what I told you-," he started, but by the tears in her eyes he got it wasn't time for scolding now. Instead he hugged her, hardly able to hide is own tears.

"Mommy," Mia sobbed," I saw her, too. Why couldn't she stay?"

"She couldn't, even if she loves you..."Dex begun hesitating, unable to explain, maybe even not to himself.

"Is she an angel now?" Mia asked suddenly, making him almost break out into tears.

"She was already one when she was still on earth", he answered and took her hand to leave the cemetery.

**Chapter 18:**

Raven sat leaned on her headstone and she was crying.

"Is there really no other possibility?"

But at the same time she knew there wasn't.

She couldn't stay neither with Dex, nor with Mia, her little girl. She would never get the chance to see her grow up.

The crow shook its head sadly and flew from her shoulder to her headstone, while Raven looked at her marriage ring on her hand.

-Dex would take care of Mia.

This thought eased her mind and she relaxed a bit, while eyeing the gun she had taken along from the crypt.

Raven felt tired and weak, but she wasn't afraid anymore when that voice in her head, the voice of her mother, called her to come back.

-Back to her other child.

Raven closed her eyes and smiled while she pulled the trigger of the gun and the bullet hit her head.

**-end-**


End file.
